CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bulls probably wish they had
some competiton to offer with the video tribute they gave
Scottie Pippen.

Pippen scored 11 points in the first half and did not bother to
take the court in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail
Blazers cruised to an 88-63 rout of the pathetic Bulls, who have
lost a season-high 11 straight.

Pippen, the only active NBA player with six championship rings,
left the Bulls dynasty after winning his last title here in 1998
in a sign-and-trade deal with the Houston Rockets.

After forcing a blockbuster trade to Portland following the
lockout-shortened season, Pippen made his return to the United
Center tonight. He received a standing ovation during
introductions after his former club honored him with a
two-minute video featuring some of his finest moments in a Bulls
uniform.

"The tribute was nice," Pippen said. "I appreciate that the
organization decided to honor me, it meant a lot. I was a
little choked up but I was glad I did not have to make a speech.
I guess the secret is out, but they told me they will retire my
number at some point."

"With the Pippen introduction, I knew we were in a special
place," Chicago coach Tim Floyd added. "I was proud that the
team decided to honor the guy. He is obviously loved by the
fans. It is a great message to our young guys that if you work
hard you will be rewarded down the line."

Pippen scored six points in the opening period as Portland
pulled ahead to stay, 24-12, en route to its fifth straight win.

"Scottie is a real professional," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy
said. "The crowd figured to juice him up even more and be
positive here. The reaction of the fans was tremendous and I'm
glad for him. He's kind of the glue for us. Even here with
Michael (Jordan) and the championships, he was a big-time
player. He is a selfless player and plays a team game as either
the playmaker or the defender on the opponent's toughest."

Damon Stoudamire scored 16 points and Bonzi Wells added 15 off
the bench for the Blazers, who pulled within two games of the
league-leading Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the
Pacific Division.

"We needed to come in here tonight and get it done," Wells said.
"We wanted to get this game out of the way and focus on the
games ahead of us. We have a tough game tomorrow (at Toronto)
and that is the start of a rough road trip for us."

Rookie Elton Brand, one of the lone bright spots in the worst
start in franchise history, had 23 points and 10 rebounds for
Chicago.

The Bulls eclipsed their 10-game losing streak from November
16-December 8 and further embarrassed themselves by establishing
a season-low in points and committing a season-high 31
turnovers.

"Their second team seemed like a starting five out there," Brand
said. "They're a very talented team and we had to come out and
play hard, and we hung around. But they're too deep."

Steve Smith scored 11 points and Rasheed Wallace added 10 for
Portland, which held Chicago below 20 points in each of the
first three quarters before surrendering 22 in the fourth.

"(The Bulls) are going through a rebuilding mode and have a lot
of young guys that play hard," Smith said. "Scottie was excited
about coming back but he just wanted to get a win and see some
of his family and friends."

Corey Benjamin scored 19 points and B.J. Armstrong added 10 for
the Bulls, who scored a season-low 28 points in the first half
and shot just 34 percent (26-of-77) from the field.

The Blazers made half of their 72 shots and coach Mike Dunleavy
used his entire bench in the second half. He did not allow any
of his starters to play more than 29 minutes.

Pippen connected on 5-of-9 shots and handed out six assists in
26 minutes.

"Being in Chicago was very special for me," he said. "We had to
build up to the championship run, it did not happen overnight.
And that is what we're trying to do in Portland. Chicago has
been great to me and my career. Now I'm moving on with my life.
I have no regrets and I thank everyone in Chicago for all the
great years."